Material feeding apparatus



MATERIAL FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 25, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR I J Fen/22 BAA '00..

ATT NEY5 March 6, 1945. J,.F. BARTION 2,370,709

MATERIAL FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 25, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR f/eA/zz 64/2701 1 ATT RN EYS March 6, 1945. J BARTON 2,370,709

MATERIAL FEEDING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 25, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN'II'OR f/m/zz 5/2/2701,

Supported on channel 22 is a generally horizontally extending plow having a vertically disposed blade portion 55 and a horizontal end portion 66 provided with a slot through which extends a screw and wing nut locking assembly 61 which permits the adjustment of the plow toward and away from the center of the rotatable plate 55. Channel 22 is also provided with a longitudinai slot (not shown) through which the screw of assembly 51' passes and a universal horizontal adjustment of plow 65 may thereby be obtained. Below the juncture of plow 65 and the periphery of plate 55may be located a chute or funnelBB held in any desired manner so that its lower end overlies a conveyor belt schematically shown at '59. Such belts are ordinarily supported by suitable rollers and driven at a constant speed by well known means.

If desired, the drive means for the belt 69 may be coupled by a chain or other suitable mechanism to sprocket 63 and the relative speed of feed of the feeding apparatus thereby synchronized relative to the speed of the conveyor belt. If desired, for different materials to be m xed, or different percentages of materials, the ratio of the feed of the apparatus to the rate of movement of the conveyor belt can :be easily changed by coupling any of the well known changeable speed transmissions between the belt conveyor and the apparatus shaft 58. -The material feed apparatus, if desired, can be driven from any suitable source independent of the drive means for the conveyor belt. V

In the operation of the apparatus just described the shafts 58, 44 and 3| are rotated at constant speeds or at speeds having a predetermined ratio with respect to the rate of movement of the conveyor belt 69.. The material to be fed is placed in the hopper 29 and is continuously agitated by the scrapers 35 and 36,

connecting rods 3'! and 38, and crank arms 33 conveyor belt 69. As the conveyor belt is in tended to carry a relatively large amount of coarse material, the feeding apparatus insures the correct admixture of the two materials.

If the material in thehopper is flakyror fluffy and therefore dry, there may be a tendency for it to pass through the apparatus too rapidly in which case the adjustable sleeve 49 may be low.- ered by loosening the screw 50, and sliding the sleeve downwardly and'securing it in a position where it will sufficiently restrict the free spread of the material on the plate 55. l

The slot Si in sleeve 49 permits the sleeve to be lowered so thatthe sides of the slot straddle the inner endportion of the plow and at the same time the plow can be adjusted inwardly or outwardly. By loosening sleeve 49 the plow can also be partially rotated to vary its angle with respect to the radius of the plate 55.,

My invention can be coupled up with conventional types of material feeding apparatus; for example, as shown schematically in Fig. 3 a variable speed motor I03 through conventional gearing drives a common shaft I04 having two sprockets, one of which is connected by a chain drive to sprocket I05 which drives the conveyor belt 69, and the second sprocket on shaft H15 is connected by a chain drive to a sprocket on a countershaft 06. A second sprocket on shaft IDS is connected by chain driveto the sprocket 63 of my apparatus.

A coarse material hopper is indicated at H11 and material coming out of the bottom thereof is carried by conveyor belt 69 to a point where the material is admixed with material being fed by my apparatus. By using a common .drive means the material being fed will be mixed and fed in the correct proportions; the coarse material fed from hopper I01 presents no problem. In one use the coarse material comprises cement clinkers and known means of control assure a steady flow on the belt 69. However, the material to be fed by my apparatus may be a resinous product to be introduced in the amount of only two to four one-hundredths of one per cent by weight of the total mix.

By changing the size of the sprockets, for instance those on shafts l I14 or 186, it is possible to vary the amount of material that my apparatus will feed in comparison to that fed by belt 69 and so any desired ratio can be obtained.

If desired, a screen or cover can be placed across the top of hopper 29 so that large pieces of foreign material which might injure the mechanism can not be introduced with the material to be fed.

It will be understood that the apparatus herein shown and described is merely illustrative ofv the preferred embodiment of the inventive principles involved and that these principles may be otherwise embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Feeding apparatus for granulated or flaky material comprising a frame having spaced uprights, a vertically disposed material-containing hopper having an open bottom supported by said uprights, a crank shaft extending in a hori- V zontal plane through the bottom portion of said hopper and having its ends journaled in said supports and a crank arm portion within the hopper, a connecting rod movable in said hopper and having one end formed as a bearing connecting said crank arm and a scraper member supported on the other end, said crank arm portion, connecting rod and scraper all serving to agitate the material in the hopper, a substantially horizontally disposed closed end hollow cylinder below said hopper having an opening registering with the opening in the bottom thereof, a second shaft journaled in one of said uprights and extending axially through said cylinder, a plurality of radially extending vanes attached to 4 said second shaft and extending substantially to the interior wall of said cylinder to provide material metering means, the bottom of said cylinder having a, downwardly depending wall por-' tion open at its end, a manually vertically adjustable sleeve surrounding said wall portion, a horizontally rotatable plate below said sleeve, said sleeve being adjustable to different heights above said plate and constituting therewith a material flow control unit, a material removing plow extending inwardly from the periphery of said plate and having an edge adjacent the 'upper face thereof and disposed to shift material radially outwardly on said plate upon rotation thereof;and drivemeans fon constantly rotating saidplate, crankshaft --and:--said second shaft --in synchronism.

-2.---F eedingapparatus =-for granulated or i'flaky material comprising a frame having spaced upcrank arm and a scraper member'suppo'rted, on

the other end, said crank arm portion, connecting rod and scraper allserving to agitate the niaterial in, the hopper, a substantially horizontally dispos'edjclosed end hollow cylinder below said hopperhaving. an opening registering with the opening..fin the bottom thereof, a second shaft j ournaled in ,one,. bf.jsaid uprights and extending axially through said cylinder, a plurality of radially .extending vanes attached. to said second shaftand extending substantially to the interior wall ofsaid vcylindertoprovide material metering means, ahorizontallyrotatable plate below said materia1 metering; means .for receiving material ports;materialz agitating means in said hopper and movable by said crank shaft, a substantially horizontally disposed closed end hollow cylinder below said hopper having an opening registering with the opening in the bottom thereof, a second shaft journaled in one of said uprights and extending axially through said cylinder, a plurality of radially extending vanes attached to said sec.- ond shaft and extending substantially to the interior wall of said cylinder to provide material metering means, the bottom of said cylinder having a downwardly depending wall portion open at its end, a manually vertically adjustable sleeve surrounding said'wall portion, a horizontally rotatable plate below said sleeve, said sleeve being adjustable to different heights above said plate and constituting therewith a material flow control unit, a material removing plow extending inwardly from the periphery of said plate and having an edge adjacent the upper face thereof and disposed to shift material radially outwardly onsaid plate upon rotation thereof, and drive means for constantly rotating said plate, crank shaft and said second shaft in synchronism.

4. Feeding apparatus for granulated or flaky material comprising a frame having spaced uprights, a vertically disposed material-containing hopper having an open bottom supported bysaid uprights, a crank shaft extending in a horizontal plane through the bottom portion of said hopper and having its ends journaled in said supports, material agitator means in said hopper and movable by said crank shaft, a substantially horizontally disposed closed end hollow cylinder below plateyqrank shaft said hopper having .an opening reg'isteringwith the openinginthe'bottom' thereof, a -second shaft" journaled in oneof-said uprights and extending axially through -said cylinder, a plurality of madially extending vanes attached to said second shaft and-extending substantially to the interior wall ofsaid; cylinder to provide material-metering -means, -a horizontally -=rotatable plate below said material metering means forreceiving material "therefrom, a material removingplowex tending inwardly from the periphery'of said plate andhaving-an edge'adjace'nt-the ;;upper' face thereof, and -disposed to ,shiftmaterial radially outwardly on saidplate-upon rotation,-'the reof, and-drive means for constantly rotating said and said secondshaft in syn chronism. g

5'. In material feeding apparatus ffor feeding material of varying characteristics, a rnaterialcontaining hopper having a wall, a bottom portion, and a discharge opening in 'the' bottom thereof, a crank shaft-extendingsubstantially n al y throu the bottom. p rti n i f a hopper, a crank arm portion, withinsaid hopper onsaid shaft, aconnecting rod having ,one end attachedjto .said crank arm portion for. reciproeatin movement and one, end attach 01. .a scraper; uide, means for said connecting. rodlefor, supporting .said scraper adjacent said, .wall,,. said crank arm portion, vconnecting,rod, and scraper allservin to, agitate the material in the hopper to. provide. a. uniform flow ,of .lmaterial through th hopp r disc ar e open n m ter m t rin means, positioned, below. said dischargeaopeningl a manually vertically adjustable ,sleeye-,- depending-fromsaid metering. means, a horizontally. rotatable plate belowsaid sleeve, said, sleeve being' adjustable to ,difierentheights. above the plate to compensate forrvaryingcharacteristics of materialbeing fed by limiting the spread of t he, 1 naterial. on said plate, a. material removing plow extending inwardly from v the periphery of, the plate and having anedge adjacent the upper face of said plate whereby upon rotation of said plate, material thereon will be shifted radially outwardly by said plow, and means for constantly rotating said shaft and said plate.

6. In material feeding apparatus, a materialall serving to agitate the material in the hopper to provide a uniform flow of material through the hopper discharge opening, material metering means positioned below said discharge opening, a horizontally rotatable plate below said material metering means, a material removing-plow extending inwardly from the periphery of the plate and having an edge adjacent the upper face of said plate whereby upon rotation of said plate, material fed thereon by said metering means will be shifted radially outwardly by'said plow, and

means for constantly rotating said shaft and said plate.'

7. In material feeding apparatus for feeding material of varying characteristics, a material containing hopper having a bottom portion, and

a discharge opening therein, a'crank shaft extending substantially horizontally through the bottom portion of said hopper, a crank arm portion within said hopper on said shaft, a connecting rod having one end attached to said crank arm portion for reciprocating movement and one end attached to a scraper, said crank arm portion, connecting rod and scraper all serving to agitate the material in the hopper to provide a uniform flow of material through the hopper dis charge opening, rotatable material metering means positioned below said discharge opening, a horizontally rotatable plate below said material metering means, a material removing plow extending inwardly from the periphery of the plate and having an edge adjacent the upper face of said plate whereby upon rotation of said plate, material fed thereon by said metering means will be shifted radially outwardly by said plow, and means for constantly rotating said shaft, said metering means and said plate.

8. In material feeding apparatus, a materialcontaining hopper having a discharge opening in the bottom thereof, material agitating means positioned within said hopper to provide a steady flow of material through the discharge opening th'ereof, material meterin means positioned directly below said discharge opening for receiving said material and depositing it in batches, a horizontally rotatable plate below said metering means for receiving the batches of material, a

' rigid material removing plow having an edge adjacent the upper face of said plate whereby upon rotation thereof the material deposited in batch form thereon will be shifted radially outwardly by said plow and fed off the edge of said plate in a continuous stream, and means for operating said material agitating means, said metering means and said plate in synchronism.

9. In material feeding apparatus, a material containing hopper having a discharge opening in the bottom thereof, material agitating means positioned within said hopper to provide a steady flow of material through the discharge opening thereof, a substantially horizontally disposed closed end hollow cylinder below said hopper having an opening registering with the opening in the bottom thereof, a, shaft extending axially through said cylinder and having a plurality of radially extending vanes attached thereto and extending substantially to the interior wall of said cylinder to provide material metering means for receiving said material and depositing it in batches, a horizontally rotatable plate below said metering means for receiving the batches of material, a rigid material removing plow having an edge adjacent the upper face of said plate whereby upon rotation thereof the material deposited in batch form thereon will be shifted radially outwardly by said plow and fed off the edge of said plate in a continuous stream, and means for operating said material agitating means, said metering means and said plate in synchronism.

10. In material feeding apparatus, a material containing hopper having a discharge opening in the bottom thereof, material agitating means positioned within said hopper to provide a steady flow of material through the discharge opening thereof, material metering means positioned directly below said discharge opening for receiving said material and depositing it in batches, said material metering means having a downwardly depending wall portion open at its bottom end, a manually vertically adjustable sleeve surrounding said wall portion, a horizontally rotatable plate below said sleeve, said sleeve being adjustable to different heights above said plate and constituting a material flow control unit, a rigid material removing plow having an edge adjacent the upper face of said plate whereby upon rotation thereof the material deposited in batch form thereon will be shifted radially outwardly by said plow and fed off the edge of said plate in a continuous stream, and means for operating said material agitating means, said metering means and said plate in synchronism.

J. FRANK BARTON. 

